February 2010 Recap & Poll Results [GlasgowUniPhoto.com]
Another month behind us.
The poll for February pondered about the best source of food on campus, the results of which can be found in the graphic below (click it for a larger version). The Queen Margaret Union’s two food dispensaries, the Food Factory and Lacuna, came up top trumps, in first and third place, respectively. Preventing a 1-2 finish was the Brasserie at 1A The Square, which is my personal favourite, in terms of the quality of food, though not so much the price. The Food Factory is the one I frequent the most, and I suspect that the QMU’s standings in the results might have been slightly skewed by the readership of this blog. Or maybe not, who knows.
With March being a month filled with elections for all the student unions on campus, the SRC, GUU, QMU and GUSA, the poll for the coming month asks about your voting habits, specifically if you vote in student elections at University or not. The poll can be found on the right hand side of the blog, or by clicking this link.
Below are all the photos from February 2010:
![February 7th: L is for... Libraries [ABC Sundae]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3562014564_1c3b3ebeef_s.jpg)
![February 21st: M is for... Magazines [ABC Sundae]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4377280156_33485e270f_s.jpg)
(Somehow forgot to actually hit “Publish” on this post a month ago, when it was supposed to have been posted, oops. I’ve postdated it to February 28th, the day it was supposed to have been posted.)
Southern Entrance to the University of Glasgow
This particular entrance to the University is on Dumbarton Road, right between the entrance to the Western Infirmary and Partick Bridge. The road leads up to the Graham Kerr Building (Zoology) and the complex made up of the West Medical Building, Wolfson Building and the Davidson Building.
It’s a route to uni I suspect many people don’t take, so, to spare you the walk, the next couple of days I’ll post a few pictures from that part of the University. There’s also a garden-like bit where I saw a fox while taking the photos I’ll post on Monday and Tuesday. I would continue for the rest of the week, but there is a lot happening on campus on Wednesday and Thursday which will require their own posts.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The Number 15?
If you’ve been around campus this week and had your eyes directed at the ground (which is very likely, considering the weather we’ve been experiencing lately), you may have noticed the white (and red) spray-painted number 15′s on the ground, spread all around campus.
I’ve already counted 9 of them myself, outside the library and between the QMU and the Boyd Orr Building, for example. The one in the photo above is from outside the Gregory Building and the “stone vagina”. How many can you find?
Is it vandalism? Someone’s tag? A viral ad campaign? Aliens?
I was going to do some further research into it, until I ran across a flyer outside the University Library which explained everything: the number ’15′ in this instance is referring to the 15th birthday of SubCity, Glasgow University’s student-run radio station, which it is celebrating at The Arches on Saturday March 6th, a week from today. More information on the SubCity website at www.SubCity.org.
Mystery solved!
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
The Hetherington Research Club is Closed
One of the many student unions we have has bitten the dust. The Hetherington Research Club, Scotland’s only postgraduate club, has closed its doors and made the staff redundant. Apparently the “Club could no longer operate as a business legally, due to its debts.” One question: we keep hearing rumors about the Glasgow University Union being in debt. If that is the case, how are their doors still open? Just wondering.
There is a Facebook Group devoted to saving the Hetherington Research Club (with one of my photos as the group photo) and a public meeting on the issue on Monday in the Boyd Orr Building at 5.30pm.
Instead of listing the reasons for why the HRC closed its doors, I’ll direct you to an article on the subject in the most recent issue of the Glasgow University Guardian.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Art Gallery, Library, Hub
Earlier today I was allowed a rare experience to be invited on a tour of the back areas of the University Library, the extensive areas behind the scenes which students never really get to see or experience. Naturally I took my camera with me and snapped some pictures on the tour of the back areas. I’ll post those photos and a write up of the tour and what I learned in a few weeks when I get my thoughts together and manage to pick the best photos. I’ll announce on the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/GlasgowUniPhoto when I’ll have the next Library Week on this here photo blog. So, to find out when the Library Week is coming, become a Fan of Photos from Glasgow University on Facebook. Now. Do it.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
John Smith, 1938-1994
The leader of the Labour Party from 1992 to 1994, John Smith was involved in debating with the Glasgow University Dialectic Society and at the Glasgow University Union during his time at Glasgow University studying History and subsequently Law.
John Smith is also only one of two alumni to have his name added to the Memorial Gates after it was enacted in 1951, having been added in 2001 alongside Donald Dewar. I’ve specifically featured John Smith’s piece of the Memorial Gates before here and here.
This bust of John Smith is on the top floor of the GUU, between the doors to the Billiards Hall and the upper level of the Debates Chamber.
Now, here’s an interesting little game of ‘What If’ for you: had John Smith not passed away suddenly in 1994 from a heart attack, how different would the United Kingdom, and specifically Scotland be today? What if Smith had become Prime Minister for Labour in 1997 instead of Tony Blair?
(Wikipedia entry) (University of Glasgow Story)
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Stairs to the Hunterian Museum and Bute Hall
This staircase is in the Main Building, leading up to Bute Hall and the Hunterian Museum. The doorway on the right is the Hunterian Museum, and the one on the right is the door to Bute Hall. Below that is a doorway to the Cloisters.
The shining glass displays contain various museum artifacts. I’ll post a photo of each display one day. The one which contains the Old College Plaque featured yesterday is just under the stairs on the left hand side of the photo.
This is another one of those spots around campus where there’s often someone trying to get a good shot but it’s a bit tricky to get that perfect shot. I tried to get a good one, but settled for an unorthodox one, on account of the angle and spot where the photo was taken.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
On This Site Stood The University of Glasgow
This plaque used to mark to former spot of the Old College on High Street in the East End of Glasgow.
Today the plaque sits in a glass display cabinet in the forehall under the stairs to the entrances to Bute Hall and the Hunterian Museum. I’ll post a photo of the staircase tomorrow. If you look carefully, you can see me in the reflection.
Oh, guess what today takes up the spot where the Old College used to be before it moved to the West End in the 1870s? An Aldi, some flats, High Street Train Station, train tracks and a car park. As the plaque says, the main gateway used to sit directly opposite College Street. Thanks to Google Street View you can see that spot as it stands today, by clicking here. Click here for a satellite photo of the area.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
M is for… Magazines [ABC Sundae]
![M is for... Magazines [ABC Sundae]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4377280156_33485e270f.jpg)
There are four student media organisations at the University of Campus, all of which are written and edited by students themselves. I’ve lumped the Guardian in with the three magazines because there really aren’t any other student-run newspapers on campus and I didn’t want the Guardian to be all alone as the sole newspaper.
Glasgow University Guardian
Founded in 1956 as the Gilmorehill Guardian, the Glasgow University Guardian is the University’s independent and award-winning student-run newspaper, covering news, sports, events and features, with the occasional scoop. The Wikipedia entry for the Guardian mentions some of those scoops. If you’d like to find out more or contribute an article or photos, the people behind the Guardian meet every Monday at 5pm in the John McIntyre Building.
To get your hands on the Guardian, you can find copies of it spread around campus and the West End, notably in the John Mac Building, both student unions and the Fraser Building. The Guardian’s website is www.glasgowguardian.co.uk, where you can find the most recent edition.
Glasgow University Magazine
The first issue of the Glasgow University Magazine (GUM) appeared all the way back in 1889, making it the oldest continuously published student magazine in Scotland. The magazine’s aim is to “document the University’s history from the student’s point of view, with reports of sporting achievements and debates, short stories and poems, articles and letters giving opinions on the political and moral issues of the day, and photographs of office bearers and medal winners.” And fashion, art and entertainment. Obviously.
The GUM won the award for Best Magazine at the 2008 Herald Scottish Student Press Awards. The magazine is released quarterly. The GUM website is www.glasgowuniversitymagazine.com and 3000 copies of the magazine are spread around campus and Glasgow every time it is released.
qmunicate
qmunicate is the Queen Margaret Union‘s award-winning student magazine, having won Best Magazine at the Herald Student Press Awards in both 2007 and 2009, being shortlisted in both 2006 and 2008.
The Publications Committee meet every Wednesday in the QMU at 5.30pm, and the magazine comes out every two weeks. The website for qmunicate is www.qmu.org.uk/qmunicate, where you can find the most recent edition. A paper copy of the magazine can be found, naturally, at the Queen Margaret Union, as you enter the building.
GUUi
The GUUi is Glasgow University Union‘s publication, currently in it’s 11th issue. I’m mentioning the GUUi last, not because it’s the youngest publication of the four, but because I had some trouble finding out anything about it online. Likewise, I couldn’t find a website for the GUUi, but the latest issue can be found online at www.theguu.com/content/guu/docs/guui.pdf (PDF warning).
If anyone can fill me and the readers in on when the people behind the GUUi meet (I assume they meet in the GUU), much appreciated.
I occasionally provide photos to the Glasgow University Guardian, whenever I have the chance to do so, and some of my photos have been kindly used in qmunicate. The newest issues of both the Guardian and qmunicate contain some of my photos, which gives me more reason to love taking photos. Thank you for the opportunity!
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Joseph Black Building (Day & Night)
It’s quite tricky to try to capture the entire Joseph Black Building in one photograph, considering the way that it’s shaped into three parts, the northern most of which is barely visible above at the very right hand side of both of the photos. This is my best attempt at it, a panorama at day and night. I only noticed that I had stood in a slightly different spot when I was composing the Day & Night theme photo above. Bummer, but oh well, it’ll have to do.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Lostprophets DJ Set at Qudos
A night of rocking dance, electro and drum ‘n’ bass from the lead singer of Lostprophets, Iain Watkins, at the Queen Margaret Union, following their gig in Glasgow yesterday.
I’ve uploaded a video of a bit of the very end of the gig on YouTube, also embedded below. Tell me, are people chanting “very, very, very fucking good” or “here we, here we, here we fucking go”? Still haven’t figured that out.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Rainbow Flag?
Wait, that’s not the Glasgow University flag. What’s a Rainbow flag doing on the flagpole at the North Front of the University? I wonder if the Glasgow University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students’ Association (GULGBT) had anything to do with this? Any idea who’s responsible?
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Wikipedia @ The Hunterian
Today the Hunterian Museum took part in the Britain Loves Wikipedia event, taking place in museums all over the UK during the month of February. The aim of the event is to increase the number of pictures available to illustrate Wikipedia articles, and to inspire new articles. There are also prizes to be won. I got several reminders from the folks at the Hunterian Museum, inviting me through Flickr, Twitter and the blog to come out and take some photos. I was looking forward to it.
Unfortunately, I forgot to set myself an alarm and overslept, and I kinda forgot to read the rules beforehand, so most of the photos I took aren’t eligible, not that I got that many. Missed the Archaeology part which I was most interested in. In terms of the rules, I didn’t know that I had to take 2 photos of everything, including the label in the second photo. Oh well. The competition runs until the end of February so if you’re interested, you still have time to head to a museum and take some photos to submit to Wikipedia. Remember, all museums most likely have some rules about photography within the museum, so you should always ask before taking a photo. The Hunterian Museum, for instance, doesn’t allow flash photography or tripods.
Oh, speaking of the Hunterian Museum, remember that photo of the Main Building covered in scaffolding I posted last week? The Hunterian Museum’s Main Hall is undergoing roof works at the moment and is currently closed off to the public. A part of the Hunterian Museum is still open though.
Oh, and the fossilised fish is a Dentex leptacanthus, from the Eocene period (55-33 Million years ago), and has extant relatives alive today, according to the label.
You can find out more about the event from the University press release, the Hunterian Museum website, and the official Britain Loves Wikipedia website.
I’ll post some of the photos I took at the Hunterian Museum a bit later on when I have the next Museum Week on this here photo blog.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Dark Corners
There are a number of dark corners and unlit nooks and crannies here and there around campus, such as the one under the Maths Building seen in the photo above. Or the stairwell next to the Sir Alexander Stone Building, which really needs a flood light or something. Do you know any other dark and creepy, even scary corners and spots around campus that could use some light during the dark hours?
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
University Avenue & University Place
The western end of University Avenue, the spot where University Avenue once ran straight past the Western Infirmary (where the smokestack is).
I took this composite photo from the upstairs window of the Hetherington Research Club on University Gardens. I say ‘composite’ because that would explain why the moving cars in the photo appear with ghost-like doubles and triples of themselves.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Undercroft Entryway
The space beneath Bute Hall at the very centre of the Main Building is not the only place in the building where you can encounter an undercroft much like the Cloisters. If you head to the South Front from either quadrangle or from the Cloisters themselves, the grand entryways and arches open to a nice view of Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery and the rest of the south of Glasgow, a sight worth seeing, especially on a nice clear night.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Site of Future Development?
When the Boyd Orr Building and the Maths Building were being built, this car park you see in the photo was apparently left vacant for a possible future development, supposedly a new building for the Law Department. That would explain why there are no windows on this side of the Maths Building. Whatever became of the plans, I don’t know.
The two largest emitters of light in the photo are the Bower Building and the Wolfson Medical School Building. I took this photo from the shadow of the Boyd Orr Building’s Lecture Theatre 2, which juts out of the side of the building in the top right hand corner of the photo.
If you look reeeeally carefully, you’ll notice a hula hoop in one of the trees. Here’s a larger version of the photo so you can try to find it yourself.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
In Sepia
It’s been a while since I’ve posted yet another photo of the one aspect of the University which is visible pretty much everywhere around campus and towards the south of the city. Here’s a sepia version of one of the very first photos of featured on this here photo blog, all the way back in June 2009.
We’re also at about the halfway point of the month, so let’s take a quick look at the current results of this month’s poll. The top three contenders at the moment are The Food Factory in the QMU, 1A The Square Brassiere and Lacuna, also in the QMU. I can’t tell whether the current results reflect the quality of the food and all the other variables, or if it reflects more on the readers of this blog. For instance, the votes for the two eateries in the GUU are very low in number, barely existent when compared to the QMU’s offerings.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Joseph Black Building
After posting yesterday’s photo of a small park of the Joseph Black Building, I realized that I’ve never actually posted a photo of the actual building itself. In terms of being an architectural oddity, the Joseph Black Building rivals the John McIntyre Building. If you look at the building from above, say, on Google Maps, the building consists of three different connected wings in a peculiar crescent shape. I’m told the building has several interesting subterranean levels that I ought to check out.
As you may have noticed, I tend to post night photos quite often. I’m more likely to be around campus with time and a camera late at night than during the day, and anyway, how often are you on campus late at night? (Besides the library and the unions, of course)
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Department of Organic Chemistry
One of my favourite department signs around campus. With the coming University restructuring and renaming of Faculties into Colleges and Departments into Schools, I hope nothing happens to the little touches like the one above, or a similar one for the Department of Chemistry at another part of the Joseph Black Building.
I’ll delve into the whole University restructuring issue at a later date. I had planned to photograph and feature every department I could find at the University, but alas, there’s quite a few of them. After the restructuring there’ll be 4 colleges, as opposed to 9 faculties, and a lesser number of schools/departments to photograph. I’ll wait until the new signs are up though.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Lord Kelvin’s Modern Glaswegian Style
It appears Lord Kelvin’s statue in Kelvingrove Park has been momentarily pimped, Glasgow-style, with the obligatory orange traffic cone. It’s the same statue of which I posted another photo a few weeks back, albeit that one was taken during a sunny summer day. You know what, I think the hat kinda suits him.
It is becoming, or to some extent has become, synonymous with Glasgow’s drinking habits and sense of humor to such an extent that you can actually purchase inflatable orange traffic cone hats. The traffic-cone-on-statue gimmick is a particularly common occurrence in the city centre, with the statue of the Duke of Wellington outside the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). You can see an example of that here.
I wonder if the Glasgow City Council keeps stats on how many traffic cones are misplaced, stolen, placed on statues around the city, chucked into rivers, and placed on top of bus stops.
You’ll recognize the University Tower lit up in the background, just to give you a frame of reference for the location of the statue.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
A Small Door (What Is That?)
The answer to last Monday’s puzzle about the photo asking ‘What is Room 256?’ is that it’s a small door, as some of the commenters guessed. The clue was in the sign on the door, Dr John Malkovich. As in John Malkovich. The actor. John Malkovich + a small door = ‘Being John Malkovich’. The movie.
Do you need any more hints as to what all this is alluding to? For those of you who are still a bit clueless as what I’m blabbering on about, Being John Malkovich. Google it. Also, Wikipedia is your friend. There’s also a synopsis at the end of this post.
For those who know the philosophical aspect of the movie and are wondering what the door is doing in a building which is primarily for Physics and Astronomy: the Kelvin Building used to be called the Natural Philosophy Building and some Philosophy lectures take place in Room 257, a lecture theatre in the same building.
If you wish to go looking for the door to Room 256, follow the signs to Room 257, and then follow the signs to the bathrooms. The door to Room 256 might be easy to miss due to its size, so keep looking down at the wall on your left.
Incredibly Minimal and Over-Simplified Synopsis of Movie!! Spoiler!!
In “Being John Malkovich”, the protagonist finds a portal on the 7 1/2 floor of an office building which takes him into the brain of actor John Malkovich, played by John Malkovich. Man finds something cool, shows cool thing to others, everyone abuses the system for personal gain, philosophical debate over wine and cigarettes afterwards. Bring your own beret. The end.
The search for Room 42 continues.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
L is for… Libraries [ABC Sundae]
![L is for... Libraries [ABC Sundae]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3562014564_1c3b3ebeef.jpg)
The gigantic structure which dominates the Gilmorehill campus of the University of Glasgow is unavoidable, whether you’re a student or a visitor. In terms of visibility from afar, it’s only second to the University Tower. Being one of the largest structures around, and a focal point of the University, I’ve featured the University Library several times before.
In addition to the Main Library [more info], the University has a further five subject libraries:
- Adam Smith library (Adam Smith Building) [more info]
- Chemistry Branch Library (Joseph Black Building) [more info]
- James Herriot Library (Small Animal Clinic Building) [more info]
- James Ireland Library (Glasgow Dental Hospital and School) [more info]
- Law Workshop (Stair Building) [more info]
Most students will be familiar with only the Main Library and perhaps one more library, depending on the subject they are studying. There are other hurdles to being aware of the other libraries, including restricting access and their respective locations.
The Adam Smith Library, located in the Adam Smith Building is meant for students studying Social Sciences and Psychology and like the Main Library it is open to all students and staff. The Chemistry Branch Library, which not surprisingly, holds the University’s Chemistry materials, is also open to all “registered readers of the University Library”, tucked away on Level 5 of the Joseph Black Building. The Law Workshop, located in the basement of the Stair Building at University Square is only for law students in year two and above.
The last two libraries, the James Herriot Library and the James Ireland Library are located away from the main University campus. The James Ireland Library, belonging to the Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, is located close to the city centre at 378 Sauchiehall Street. The James Herriot Library, which holds the University’s collection of veterinary books and journals, is the furthest away from Gilmorehill, located on the second floor of the Small Animal Clinic Building, at the Veterinary School at Garscube Estate. Both of the further libraries are open to alls students and staff, if anyone is inclined to make the trips to them.
Somewhat overdue now, but I believe it’s time for another Theme Week soon. Back last June I had a Library Week here as the first Theme Week, and I’ve been meaning to arrange for myself to get to the library to take more photos, something I’ve been kindly invited to do by staff at the Library. As soon as I’ve managed to find a suitable time, I will post another Library week at Photos from Glasgow University. If you have anything from within the Library that you would like to see, lemme know in the comments below and I’ll see if I can get a photo of it.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
Welcoming Collage
As you enter the main part of the Main Building from the North Front, you’re greeted with a collage on the walls featuring images relating to the University, advertising it with slogans such as ‘With age comes respect’, ‘Looking after the future’, ‘Finding community within diversity’, and ‘A reputation for innovation’.
[Poll #9: What is the best source of food on campus?] Click on the photo above for a larger version. Please rate the photo below! © 2010 GlasgowUniPhoto.com
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